Issue Date: May 14, 2006
Parties that cook
With culinary participation parties, you can have your steak and prepare it, too.
By Judith A. Stock
Karyn Milhous grabs wine, miniature bottles of martinis, and glasses from her kitchen cupboard and places them into a large bowl of ice while eight of her pals gather around the kitchen island.
When the "lesson" part of this spirited dinner party winds down, the eating begins.
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Tonight, the Arcadia, Calif., full-time homemaker and mother of two young boys is hosting a dinner party. But at the moment, all eyes are focused on Leslie Blythe Miller, whom Milhous has invited over to demonstrate cooking techniques to her friends.
Miller, a personal chef from Pasadena, Calif., holds court as she effortlessly rolls sticky rice inside sheets of dried seaweed, then carefully cuts her creation, forming 10 perfectly executed and tempting vegetable sushi rolls.
As this "cooking class dinner party" proceeds, Miller puts everyone to work. By the time it's over, she will have taught the guests how to make tasty appetizers, including maple-pepper salmon bites, garlic-lime marinated shrimp and even Thai chicken satay.
"I like how Leslie explained and showed us how to roll sushi," Milhous enthuses later, as the "lesson" part of this spirited dinner party winds down and the eating begins. "I know this group will try out these recipes at home."
Hands-on gastronomy
You don't have to live on the West Coast to find a personal chef who will come to your house, plan the menu, bring the ingredients, and involve you and your pals in an evening of conversation and culinary education. Even better, you won't have to clean up the kitchen when the party's over.
John Miller, academic director of culinary arts at the Art Institute in Washington, D.C., says combining cooking lessons and dinner parties has become increasingly popular, especially with one crowd: "upscale young urbanites."
Here's the drill: The chef confers with the client about menu, theme and wine. With the signed contract, the chef then purchases all the food needed for the event. What you need to do: Make out your guest list for the evening and prep your home for the party.
The Art Institute's Miller, who also has been the chef-in-residence for cooking class dinner parties in California, New York and Pennsylvania, says the average guest count runs eight to 15 people with a typical age range of 28 to 45.
He cautions that being the host of such an affair is not cheap. "Look at restaurant dining, then tack on 50%," he says. What will raise the cost of the evening: the number of guests invited, whether the chef requires a helper and if you want a wine steward to decant fine wine.
"One of the major advantages of giving a party like this is the hands-on instructions," Miller says. "Guests come away feeling very good about their abilities."
Recipe for fun
Teresa Flowers, a massage therapist from Boca Raton, Fla., first hosted a cooking class dinner party last summer for 15 friends. "I like to get people together at home and mingle. It's a great way for singles to have a good time in a safe space," she says. Plus, "Men like these parties. They like to cook and eat, too. Then they start cooking for their partners."
Chris Lapienski, a certified personal chef in Pompano Beach, Fla., demonstrated cooking techniques at Flowers' party using a menu of Thai shrimp lasagna with a chili garlic sauce, a salad served with champagne vinaigrette, poached salmon with cucumber dill sauce and rice pilaf. Dessert consisted of a melon salad that was topped with a simple lemon-lime syrup.
Flowers says she and her guests enjoyed the experience so much that she's planning to host another party this year.
A chef's perspective
Minneapolis-based personal chef Marshall O'Brien loves this new twist in entertaining. "I always knew that I wanted to do more than push food out the door in a restaurant kitchen," he says.
When O'Brien is tapped to teach at a party, he focuses on seasonal ingredients. "I like to improvise," he says. "I base my cooking on what's in the stores today and use fresh food, generally Asian-oriented, with herbs, fruits and vegetables." Then, as the party begins, O'Brien puts the guests into cooking groups, goes through the menu and explains the ingredients.
"Some people may be apprehensive, so my job is to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable," O'Brien says. "I go around showing them different cutting techniques and answering questions."
Every night the experience is different, depending on what each guest brings to the table in terms of experience and interest level, he says. But the chef's role is special. "I provide something no one else can: I make a great meal," O'Brien says. "That's why the host hires me."
Of course, not everyone is blessed with culinary talent; some people just naturally burn toast and mess up cereal. But with this new twist in entertaining, lack of kitchen prowess shouldn't stop anyone from throwing a perfectly marvelous dinner party -- with a little help from a chef.
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